User Experience Researcher
Salary

User Experience Researchers in the United States can expect to earn an average of $80K annually. In the world of User Experience Researchers, overall cash allowance can occasionally include more than $18K from bonuses and, in some exceptional cases, $20K from profit sharing, causing incomes to vary widely between $53K and $129K. The most influential factor affecting pay for this group is experience level, though geography and the specific company have a (lesser) impact as well. Most report receiving medical coverage from their employers and a strong majority collect dental insurance. Work is enjoyable for User Experience Researchers, who typically claim high levels of job satisfaction. Men are slightly outnumbered by their female counterparts who answered the questionnaire, who make up a slight majority at 58 percent. This overview is based on answers to PayScale's salary questionnaire.

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

XTotal Pay combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable for this job. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or the value of other non-cash benefits (e.g. healthcare).

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Job Description for User Experience Researcher

User experience researchers are in charge of researching user experience features in computer software and other applications. They investigate ways to improve the end-user interaction with computer programs to increase satisfaction, brand loyalty, and overall use. They create reports based on market trends and user surveys, analyzing the information and reporting observations to the user experience manager (or similar individual) in their organization.

Additionally, user experience researchers relay information and ideas to the user experience team and other designers to modify existing computer features and graphics. They must develop innovative solutions for existing user experience issues, create effective strategies to implement user experience changes, perform task analysis, troubleshoot remote applications, and execute prototype testing. User experience researchers work with other researchers and internal teams to form a cohesive user experience platform, as well as conduct focus groups and gather survey results for future versions of the product or service. They plan and coordinate field and crowdsourcing efforts as well.

A bachelor's degree in computer science or another relevant field is required for this position, as is previous experience in a related role. User experience researchers must have strong communication, analytical, and organizational skills, as well as work well in a team setting and on their own with minimal supervision.

User Experience Researcher Job Listings

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Popular Employer Salaries for User Experience Researcher

Google, Inc. attracts talent by shelling out the biggest paychecks in the area — the median in that office is $125K.

The pay scale is far from balanced at Microsoft Corp. While salaries on one end can reach $158K, the company's median pay sits at $90K, the lowest in the field.

Popular Skills for User Experience Researcher

This chart shows the most popular skills for this job and what effect each skill has on pay.

User Experience Researchers seem to require a number of specific skills. Most notably, skills in End User Requirements Research, User Research, Usability Testing, and User Interface Design are correlated to pay that is above average. At the other end of the pay range are skills like Market Research, Data Analysis, and Research Analysis. It is often found that people who know Usability Testing are also skilled in User Interface Design.

Pay by Experience Level for User Experience Researcher

Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.

User Experience Researchers who reported more years of relevant experience also reported higher earnings. Inexperienced workers earn around $74K, but people who have been around for five to 10 years pull down a much higher average of $101K. User Experience Researchers see a median salary of $122K after reaching one to two decades on the job. Individuals who have achieved more than 20 years of experience don't seem to earn much more than people who have 10 to 20 years under their belts; the more senior group reports an average income of $139K.

Pay Difference by Location

For those looking to make money, User Experience Researchers in Menlo Park enjoy an exceptional pay rate, 48 percent above the national average. User Experience Researchers can also look forward to large paychecks in cities like Mountain View (+28 percent), San Jose (+20 percent), San Francisco (+18 percent), and Atlanta (+11 percent). The lowest-paying market is Austin, which sits 21 percent below the national average, proving that location is a significant contributor to overall pay. Employers in Redmond and Chicago also lean toward paying below-median salaries (20 percent lower and 19 percent lower, respectively).